Ukrainian delegation arrives in US to discuss defense support, Russia sanctions

Editor's note: The story was updated after the Ukrainian delegation arrived in the U.S.

A Ukrainian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko and including Andriy Yermak, head of the Presidential Office, arrived in Washington on June 3, Yermak said.

The delegation will discuss "defense support, the battlefield situation, and strengthening sanctions against Russia, namely Senator (Lindsey) Graham's bill," Yermak said on Telegram.

The parties will also discuss efforts to bring abducted Ukrainian children back from Russia, a U.S.-Ukrainian minerals agreement, Russian propaganda connected to Ukrainian churches, and recent peace talks in Istanbul, Yermak added.

The trip comes after President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on June 2 that Ukraine seeks defense agreements and a free trade deal with Washington.

"I discussed this with President (Donald) Trump... We want to buy (weapons.) This is what the agreement is about – no gifts," Zelensky said.

The Trump administration has not approved any new major military aid packages for Ukraine, and the assistance allocated under the previous Biden administration is steadily running out. Zelensky's team has therefore offered Washington to buy U.S. weapons instead of receiving them as donations.

The visit also follows the second round of Russian-Ukrainian peace talks in Istanbul on June 2, which focused on a new prisoner exchange but yet again failed to achieve a breakthrough in peace efforts.

Zelensky has urged Trump to impose additional sanctions on Russia if the peace talks stall.

"If the Istanbul meeting brings nothing, that clearly means strong new sanctions are urgently needed — from the EU's 18th package, and from the United States specifically, the strongest sanctions President Trump promised," Zelensky said on June 2.

Trump said on May 28 that the U.S. would soon know whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is serious about ending the war. If not, he warned, Washington would "respond a little bit differently."

The U.S. president also said last month he had not yet imposed new sanctions on Russia because he believed a peace deal might be within reach. "If I think I'm close to getting a deal, I don't want to screw it up by doing that," he said, but added he is prepared to act if Moscow stalls further.

This week, the U.S. Senate is expected to "start moving" forward a new bill backed by Senator Graham that would impose 500% tariffs on imports from countries purchasing Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other products.

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul, slammed Russia for "once again stalling for time."

Rejecting Kyiv's offer of a long-term truce, Russia only proposed a temporary two- to three-day ceasefire in specific areas of the front line to allow for the retrieval of fallen soldiers' bodies. Ukraine and Russia also agreed to work on another prisoner exchange with up to 1,200 captives from each side.

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